


Building

by allthehearteyes



Series: Fluff, Sex & HEA [2]
Category: Animal Kingdom (TV)
Genre: Angst, Canon Gay Relationship, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, Explicit Language, Love, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-07-01 02:36:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15764865
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allthehearteyes/pseuds/allthehearteyes
Summary: Adrian has a secret.  How will Deran deal?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> 1) I reject the ending of season 3 finale. Obviously, this does not follow the canon, nor does my first attempt at writing (Plans). This picks up where the previous piece left off.
> 
> 2) The option was to post a bunch of shorter pieces or just commit to a heap of content. You know which one I chose. Hang in there with me. Also, I do have a handful of much shorter ones coming in the near future. You only have yourselves to blame for inspiring me with such exceptional stories. *smh*
> 
> 3) Thank you for humoring me.

*Setup: Adrian has returned from the tour. He’s ranked 10th in the world. He’s earned some endorsements. Not a ton of money, but it helps pay the bills. Occasionally he travels for small appearances or exhibition events. Deran tries to go with him when he can spare a of couple days. Deran and Adrian are living together in a small house on the beach. It’s pretty great. Adrian loves how sometimes they don’t talk or interact much, but continue to remain in sync with one another, moving seamlessly around their sweet home. He should be over the moon, but he’s not, he’s struggling. Adrian hasn’t been honest with Deran. Truth is, he feels stuck, trapped. He’s not sure he can take it anymore, something has to give. He needs to talk to Deran.*

Deran is sitting in their living room, on a soft chair looking at his phone. His posture is relaxed as he scrolls and reads. He’s barefoot, wearing dark grey sweatpants and a t-shirt. The shirt is well worn, the color of his eyes, and looks great on him. Adrian walks in and stands close to one of the walls. He’s wearing a loose black tank top, light grey hoodie and khaki cargo shorts. His feet are also bare. He has both hands in his pocket as he watches Deran for a moment. He quietly says, ‘I need to tell you something.’ Deran responds without looking up, ‘What’s up?’ Adrian says, louder but less certain than before, ‘We need to talk’.

Deran glances up to see a weird look on Adrian’s face. He looks kind of pale, a little sweaty and won’t maintain eye contact. Adrian opens his mouth slightly, closes it, but says nothing. Deran’s mind starts to race. _What happened? What’s wrong with him? Is he sick? Is this too much? Does he still want to be here? With me? Fuck! Did I fuck it up?_ All Deran’s insecurities rise to the surface, though outwardly he remains calm. In a quiet tone he asks again, ‘What’s up?’ Adrian slowly answers, ‘I did something.’ Deran’s heart starts to pound.

Adrian blurts out, ‘I’ve been moving dope in hollowed out boards to make some extra cash’. Adrian feels very shaky as he tries to look at Deran. Deran doesn’t move. Doesn’t say a word. He blinks a lot, presses his lips together, but no other movement. They look at each other in silence. Adrian starts to bite the inside of his bottom lip and as his right hand starts to fidget with the string hanging from his hoodie. Deran leans forward, elbows on his knees, head bent down. Several minutes pass. Adrian has no idea what to do. He doesn’t think talking is the right move, but neither is anything else. He stands there, kind of frozen.

Deran slowly lifts his head, and Adrian’s eyes go wide. _Oh, SHIT!_ Deran looks crazed. His face is red, scowling, almost contorted. He’s glaring at Adrian. He’s never seen Deran like this. Adrian continues to stand there, but the biting and fidgeting get worse. Slowly, Deran rises, fists clenched, still giving him a murderous look. Without warning, he throws his cellphone on the floor, storms toward Adrian, and backs him into the wall.

Deran’s face is close to Adrian’s. He’s seething. He lifts both fists and pounds them into the wall above Adrian’s shoulders. He hits it once, twice, and Adrian hears the plaster crack and crumble. Adrian flinches at the first hit, but squares his shoulders for the second one. Deran keeps his fists on the wall and hisses, ‘What the fuck did you do?’ Adrian is a little afraid, but also a little defiant, ‘You do stuff like this all the time’. Adrian holds Deran’s furious gaze. Deran flattens his hands on the wall and leans in. Through gritted teeth he spits out, ‘Not like this! I was born into this. They have my back if something happens. What happens when someone turns on you? What happens when I don’t know where you are? What then? ‘

He watches as Deran’s whole body seems to vibrate with rage. Adrian says in a small voice, ‘I…I wanted to help. I did it for us’. Deran growls, ‘You risked _everything_ for NOTHING!’ Adrian tries again, ‘I wanted to contribute. Between the cost of school and the hours I work at the shop, I can barely afford the groceries. It’s pretty embarrassing, man. I don’t want to be your charity case.’ Deran sneers, ‘That’s the stuff _I_ do. Let _me_ handle it. Your job is to focus on school, surf if you want, but let _me_ deal with the other things.’

Deran looks like he wants to throttle Adrian. Adrian is quiet. He holds eye contact, but short of remembering to breathe, he has no clue what he should do. With no change in his demeanor, Deran slowly lowers his forehead to the center of Adrian’s chest. Deran’s face is turned down, head pushing hard against Adrian. His hands are still on the wall and he’s still not talking. Deran’s body is still shaking, his breaths labored, uneven. Adrian stays completely still. After several long minutes Deran says, in a less enraged tone, ‘You _do_ contribute. In ways I can’t’. A minute passes. In a slightly broken voice he continues, ‘I can’t believe you’d risk us…’

Adrian’s vision immediately blurs as the impact of those devastating words sink in. His heart races, thunders. He didn’t think about the risk to _them_ , to the life they’ve built, are building. He wasn’t naïve about the consequences, but he never considered he’d be putting the totality of them/their relationship in jeopardy. Adrian says in a small voice, ‘I’m sorry’. He keeps repeating the words in soft whispers, until he hears Deran’s breath stutter.

Adrian closes his wet eyes, slowly moving his hands under Deran’s shirt, to his hips. He keeps saying the soft words, occasionally rubbing his thumbs up and down. Deran shakes his head, back and forth a couple times, shudders a little, and whispers, ‘You can’t…’ Adrian immediately replies, ‘I won’t. Never again’, and repeats his apology, his mantra.

  
After a while, Deran moves his hands off the wall and wraps them around Adrian’s shoulders, crushing him close. He shifts his head to Adrian’s neck, nose and face buried against him. Adrian can feel the remnants of Deran’s hot tears against his skin; it’s heart wrenching. Deran takes a slow, deep breath and exhales. Adrian’s hands and arms move around Deran’s back as he holds on just as tightly. He rests his head on Deran’s shoulder. Adrian is deeply ashamed that he’s done what he’s done. They stay there together, holding one another, breathing, soothing.

~~

After a while, breath steadier, Deran pulls back and looks Adrian in the eye. What Adrian sees nearly suffocates him. Deran looks broken, almost defeated. Adrian hates himself for causing this man so much pain. Adrian takes Deran’s hand and leads him to the couch. He urges Deran onto his side so his head rests in Adrian’s lap. Adrian grabs a pillow to prop him up. Deran’s arms immediately go around Adrian’s waist. Adrian’s left hand is around Deran’s shoulder, while his right hand pets his hair. They are silent for long moments. Adrian looks across the room, sees the damage done to the wall, and his heart aches. He was careless with this fragile, beautiful gift. This thing between them that’s more important than anything else. Adrian says quietly, ‘I’ll message them in the morning that I’m out’. Deran just nods.

~~

They eventually move to the bed, lying on their sides, facing each other. Their legs are tangled, but their upper bodies are apart. Deran’s head rests on a pillow, arms crossed over his chest. Adrian’s left arm is bent under his head, right arm flush with his body. They’re just looking at each other. Deran slowly blinks, and quietly says, ‘Tell me’. Adrian takes a deep breath, and begins.

He tells Deran how one of the other guys on tour had mentioned easy money. He tells him how the connect gives him a board and an envelope of cash. He tells him how he ties a red and white rope around the handles of the board bag, checks it at the airport, and walks away. He admits he’s done this twice, the first time being South Africa. Deran is quiet, his gaze sometimes shifting away. 

Adrian moves his right hand to Deran’s left cheek, stroking his beard with his thumb, and affirms, ‘I love you. I will never risk us again. Never.’ Deran looks at him, nods and closes his eyes. They fall asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Deran wakes up alone. He feels a little panicked before he hears the sounds of muffled metal music coming from the other room. Adrian is still here. Deran is exhausted. His body feels heavy and beat up. He heaves himself up, uses the bathroom and walks toward the music.

Adrian is sanding the damaged wall, prepping it for repairs. He looks up at Deran, leans over to turn down the music, and asks ‘Did I wake you up?’ Deran replies, ‘Not really.’ Adrian puts down the sand paper, walks to Deran and hugs him tight. Deran returns the gesture. Their heads rest on each other’s shoulders. Adrian whispers , ‘Are we okay?’ Deran nods and tightens his grip. They stay like that for a bit.

Adrian pulls back a little and waits for Deran to make eye contact. Adrian leans in for a kiss. Lips closed, pressure firm, intentional. He pulls back and says, ‘There’s coffee if you want some.’ Deran nods, steps away, and moves toward the kitchen. In the lightest tone he can muster, Adrian shares, ‘I texted them this morning. Should be a done deal.’ Deran looks at him, nods again and takes a sip of coffee. Adrian returns to sanding, determined to fix the damage he’s done.

~~

Things don’t go exactly as planned. Adrian’s connection isn’t interested in changing their arrangement. Adrian shows Deran the texts, the implied threats, and they discuss what to do next. Deran calls a family meeting, and everyone shows up two hours later. This is the first time Adrian is present for this type of Cody gathering. No one says anything about his presence, but Pope and J look a little surprised, sharing glances back and forth.

Deran explains the situation. After a couple of hours everyone leaves with tasks in hand. Craig is getting intel on the dealer, J is doing recon on a couple of locations, and Pope is securing weapons and transportation. Usually Deran would be helping with the prep work, but he’s not keen to leave Adrian alone. He doesn’t know these people and isn’t sure what kind of danger they pose.

~~

After everyone is gone, Adrian sits on the couch, elbows on knees, head in hands, slumped and disgusted with himself. He’s wearing a loose, light blue tank top and navy sweat shorts. Deran walks over to him, sinks down, and rests his right hand in the center of Adrian’s back. He rubs his palm back and forth in slow movements. Deran’s wearing a fitted white tank and loose, light grey sweatpants. Both of them are barefoot. Deran’s body is turned toward Adrian, he leans forward and says, ‘It’s okay, man. We’ve got this.’

Adrian just shakes his head slowly. Deran tries again, ‘Really. We’ve got you. _I’ve_ got you.’ Without looking up, Adrian sighs, ‘I’ve put you all in danger. Lena in danger. Us.’ Deran blinks, takes a breath and replies, ‘We’ve been through this before. Lena’s safe with the neighbors. We’ve taken precautions. We’re okay’. With wet eyes, Adrian turns toward Deran, ‘I’ve ruined what we’ve built’. Deran shakes his head, ‘No. _We’re_ okay.’

Deran fully wraps his arms around Adrian, pulls them both down so Adrian’s body is sprawled on top. He allows Adrian’s weight to pin him in place. Deran’s arms never loosening as he holds Adrian’s exhausted form. His hands are on either side of Deran’s head, thumbs stroking his hair, cheek pressed to Deran’s chest. They’re mostly quiet. Occasionally, Adrian whispers, ‘I’m sorry.’ Deran always responds, ‘It’s okay. _We’re okay_.’ Sometime later they drift off to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Deran is in the driver’s seat and Craig is in the passenger’s seat of the boosted car Pope secured. They’re waiting for the connect to show. Earlier, Deran texted the dealer on Adrian’s phone: _We need to meet up._ He gave the location and a time. The response read: _Ok. No fucking around_.

As the other car pulls up, across from them, both Cody boys step out and walk toward the headlights. Two people get out of the car and mirror Craig and Deran’s positions. The guy directly in front of Deran is on the short side, stocky and has dark hair; the guy in front of Craig is tall (not as tall as Craig), has a buzz cut and a tattoo across his neck.

The shorter man calls out, ‘What the fuck? Where’s Adrian?’ Deran calls back, ‘He’s not coming. He’s out.’ The shorter man snorts, ‘The fuck he is.’ Deran forcefully replies, ‘The fuck he’s not!’ The shorter guy jerks his chin, gestures with both hands and responds, ‘And who the fuck are you?’ Deran barks, ‘Don’t fucking worry about it. He’s done. Don’t contact him again’. The shorter guy looks over at his partner, snorts again, and laughs, ‘Must not know who the fuck we are’. He turns back to Deran, ‘You don’t want to fuck with me. You don’t want this coming down on you’. They stare each other down.

Without warning, Deran pulls his gun and aims. A split second later, Craig and the guy with the buzz cut have their guns aimed at each other. Buzz Cut has two guns, one pointed at each Cody brother. The shorter guy laughs again, ‘This isn’t going to go your way man. Leave it alone’. In the span of two beats, two men silently emerge, in unison, from unseen locations. Pope comes up behind the shorter man and holds a tactical, military style knife to his throat, pressing down. J has a cocked gun pressed against the back of Buzz Cut’s skull. Deran calls out, ‘Drop your fucking guns. Kick them away. Now!’ Buzz Cut complies, glaring. The shorter guy says defiantly, ‘You’re fucking dead. You have no idea.’

Deran steps forward, gun still aimed, and calmly explains his ties to Lucy’s cartel. Both of the men blanche a little at the mention of her organization, and names of some key players. The shorter guy raises up his palms, ‘We didn’t know. He’s out. We don’t want any trouble.’ Deran glares, and sneers, ‘If I see you, or anyone else from your crew again, I’ll fucking kill you’. The shorter guy repeats, ‘He’s out. No problem man’. Deran nods, and both Pope and J pull back to let the men get in their car and drive away. Deran and Craig keep their guns aimed until the car is completely out of sight. Deran takes a deep breath. They bought his bluff. He’s never had so much at stake.

The Cody men get into the stolen car they arrived in and drive off. Before they drop off Deran, he looks over at Craig, and then back at J and Pope. He sighs, ‘Thank you’. Craig replies, ‘No problem, bro. Anything for Adrian’. Pope clasps his hand on Deran’s shoulder and squeezes hard. J nods. Deran gets out of the driver’s seat, as Craig walks around the car to take over. He grabs Deran for a quick hug, hops in, and drives away.

~~

Deran walks in. Adrian shoots to his feet, clearly a nervous wreck. He quickly crosses the room to him, and they hold each other tight. Adrian whispers, ‘What happened?’ Deran responds, ‘It’s taken care of. You’re out.’ Deran can feel tears on his neck. Adrian brokenly asks, ‘You’re sure everyone is safe?’ Deran nods, ‘I’m sure’. They stay locked in a deep embrace until Deran feels the tremors in Adrian’s body subside.

They move to their bedroom, get undressed, take a quick shower, and get into bed naked. Deran spoons Adrian’s body. Holding him tight. Adrian has his right arm crossed back, over their bodies, hand resting on Deran’s right thigh. Left hand holding onto arms crossed over his chest. He says softly, ‘I’m so sorry’. Deran leans in, presses a kiss to the base of Adrian’s neck, and gently replies, ‘It’s over. It’s okay. _We’re okay_.’ Adrian sighs and tries to trust that he hasn’t destroyed them.


	4. Chapter 4

It takes several weeks for Adrian to forgive himself. Deran makes it a priority to reassure him with sweet touches and regular check ins. Deran even jokes about what happened, hoping to show Adrian that nothing has been lost. They are together, they are building a life. It’s hard to see Adrian struggle. He’s always been more inherently confident, self-assured, comfortable in his skin. Deran feels some of their dynamic has shifted a bit. It’s not unpleasant or even unwanted, just unknown. He’s adjusting; they are adjusting. It works; they work.

~~

Slowly Adrian seems more like himself. He laughs more, he initiates conversations, he’s stopped apologizing, and is regaining his sense of play. The other day Deran was standing at the sliding glass door looking out at the surf; without warning, Adrian snuck up behind him and pounced. Deran was not prepared and they both fell on the floor. Smiling, Adrian wrestled to turn Deran on his back so he could straddle his hips. He held down Deran’s wrists, and leaned in for a quick kiss. He hopped up and said, ‘You’re it!’ Deran still on the floor, a bit dazed, quirked the side of his mouth and whispered, ‘Run.’

Adrian’s eyes shot wide as he took off out the door toward the beach, Deran closing in behind him. Deran tumbled him to the sand, their previous position reversed. He leaned down, smiled and said, ‘Caught ya.’ Deran kissed Adrian soundly, before they got up. As they brushed sand off their skin and clothes, Deran tagged Adrian’s shoulder, and said, ‘You’re it.’ They took off back toward the house.

The rest of the morning they continued to play, wrestle, laugh and kiss. Their play shifted from innocent to intentional, clothes coming off, kissing becoming more frantic. Previous attempts at sex had been tentative and unsure. Now they moved together with familiar focus, anticipating needs, sharing breath. They re-discovered their beautiful rhythm. As they loved and touched one another, Adrian felt fully connected to Deran again, like a team of two. Simultaneously, Deran had the thought: _There he is. There’s Adrian._

~~

Things between Deran and Adrian are going really well as they find an ease in the life they’re building. About once a month Deran and Adrian host family dinners, without Smurf, of course. The Cody boys tease Adrian that it’s penance for his short stint as a drug runner. They all laugh and joke about it openly. Adrian no longer carries the fear or self-hatred from his actions. He thinks he’ll always be a bit ashamed and disappointed in what he’s done, but now he considers it an important lesson learned. Never under estimate Deran Cody. His unyielding focus, strength to forgive and courage to love. Adrian feels beyond lucky for the gift of calling Deran his. He plans to always rise to the occasion, to fight for him, them, and cherish the exceptional life they share.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking the time. I hope you all enjoyed it. More coming... :)
> 
> *find me on Tumblr*


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